sundaymorning

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  6     

We have previously gone to Cafe Ish for breakfast at their old site and loved their breakfast menu and coffee, so we were keen to try dinner. We were not disappointed.

Firstly, service was great! This was a little unexpected because when we had gone for breakfast before, service had always been a little abrupt because they were so busy. But the service was friendly even though the cafe was full and the waitress who served us was very knowledgeable about the menu. Our glasses were kept full and the empty jug of water was replaced immediately without us having to request another jug.

We ordered the Bar Plate to start. This consisted of 4 potato mochis, 4 fried lotus and crocodile tail s and a bowl of edamame with garlic, chilli, soy and ginger. Delicious! Especially the mochis (the texture was just right!) and the edamame (very more-ish). We also ordered the beef ribs and the crab omelette, which were both very nice. To end we had the lemon myrtle ice-cream and pudding to share which was just delightful. All up we paid $72.

Our only reservation about the evening was that the cafe was rather smokey. I think they should get a better rangehood. But other than that, it was a lovely dinner.

Feb 26, 2011

5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

Agree with the last review. The burgers are okay but nothing to write home about and gourmet? Really? Gourmet prices perhaps. The chips were nice, shake was good, but burgers were a let down.

Nov 14, 2010

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

After hearing about this place from a couple of people and reading the reviews, wife had been keen to try this place for a while now. We finally found our way there last Friday. Without a booking, we were told that we could have a table but had to be out by 8 pm. Since it was only around 6 pm this was not a problem for us at all and we were happy to be seated.

We ordered the bruschetta to start, the potato and Italian sausage pizza and a tiramisu to share. Service was prompt and our orders arrived without too much wait. The bruschetta was delicious. Simple but good ingredients, especially the olive oil that was used. We enjoyed our pizza too and the tiramisu was beautifully soaked with liquor. All in all, an enyoyable meal that came to about $45 for two.

Nov 14, 2010

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  7      Value  7     

We went for the first time last night. Wife ordered the beef noodle soup and I ordered the noodle and dumpling in beef soup and we had the shredded potato with vinegar and chilli to share. Our orders were delivered promptly. We were very happy with our dishes which were also rather generous serving sizes and we will definitely be interested to go again to try some other menu items. The only problem was it was rather hot and smoky inside.

Nov 14, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  4      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  3     

We came here at the weekend and I ordered the chicken shish kebab while wife ordered the spinach pide at the counter. After grabbing a couple of drinks, we sat down at a table and waited for our food. The shish kebab arrived promptly and we dug into that. It wasn't bad. However, after seeing another table nearby (who had arrived after us) get their pide, my wife inquired politely about ours. It seemed the order had been misplaced or forgotten. That's fine as these things do happen, especially when things get busy. We (and I think most people) can appreciate that mistakes happen and the staff should just act graciously when they do happen. Instead they pointed the finger at us and insisted that we hadn't placed the order and two separate staff members questioned us about it.

It was almost a Spanish inquisition. When did you place the order? Who did you place the order with? Where did you place the order? And wait for it: "Did you place the order because I would've remembered if you did? I have never forgotten an order before."

Umm... yes we did place the order. The lady at the counter even turned around to the kitchen and yelled out, "Seven!" (the number of the menu item) when the order was placed. When we go to a restaurant or cafe, it is usually with the explicit intention to eat, and we have never forgotten to order our food either!

I think anybody would see that it would be more likely that they had forgotten our order, and not that we had forgotten to order! We thought that it was rude and unnecessary and my wife felt embarrassed as other tables were turning around to look at us. (NB: We did not actually make a fuss or tell them our thoughts, we just said simply, "Yes, we did order it". The attention from other tables was due to the staff members' loud and persistent questioning.)

To top it off, the spinach pide (when we finally got it) wasn't good at all. It was too yeasty and lacked flavour. All in all, a most unpleasant dining experience. The mediocre food and the bad attitude from staff will prevent us from going there again. There's definitely countless other (and better) kebab places to go to in Auburn and around Sydney.

Nov 14, 2010

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  6     

We have previously gone to Cafe Ish for breakfast at their old site and loved their breakfast menu and coffee, so we were keen to try dinner. We were not disappointed.

Firstly, service was great! This was a little unexpected because when we had gone for breakfast before, service had always been a little abrupt because they were so busy. But the service was friendly even though the cafe was full and the waitress who served us was very knowledgeable about the menu. Our glasses were kept full and the empty jug of water was replaced immediately without us having to request another jug.

We ordered the Bar Plate to start. This consisted of 4 potato mochis, 4 fried lotus and crocodile tail s and a bowl of edamame with garlic, chilli, soy and ginger. Delicious! Especially the mochis (the texture was just right!) and the edamame (very more-ish). We also ordered the beef ribs and the crab omelette, which were both very nice. To end we had the lemon myrtle ice-cream and pudding to share which was just delightful. All up we paid $72.

Our only reservation about the evening was that the cafe was rather smokey. I think they should get a better rangehood. But other than that, it was a lovely dinner.

Feb 26, 2011

5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

Agree with the last review. The burgers are okay but nothing to write home about and gourmet? Really? Gourmet prices perhaps. The chips were nice, shake was good, but burgers were a let down.

Nov 14, 2010

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

After hearing about this place from a couple of people and reading the reviews, wife had been keen to try this place for a while now. We finally found our way there last Friday. Without a booking, we were told that we could have a table but had to be out by 8 pm. Since it was only around 6 pm this was not a problem for us at all and we were happy to be seated.

We ordered the bruschetta to start, the potato and Italian sausage pizza and a tiramisu to share. Service was prompt and our orders arrived without too much wait. The bruschetta was delicious. Simple but good ingredients, especially the olive oil that was used. We enjoyed our pizza too and the tiramisu was beautifully soaked with liquor. All in all, an enyoyable meal that came to about $45 for two.

Nov 14, 2010

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  7      Value  7     

We went for the first time last night. Wife ordered the beef noodle soup and I ordered the noodle and dumpling in beef soup and we had the shredded potato with vinegar and chilli to share. Our orders were delivered promptly. We were very happy with our dishes which were also rather generous serving sizes and we will definitely be interested to go again to try some other menu items. The only problem was it was rather hot and smoky inside.

Nov 14, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  4      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  3     

We came here at the weekend and I ordered the chicken shish kebab while wife ordered the spinach pide at the counter. After grabbing a couple of drinks, we sat down at a table and waited for our food. The shish kebab arrived promptly and we dug into that. It wasn't bad. However, after seeing another table nearby (who had arrived after us) get their pide, my wife inquired politely about ours. It seemed the order had been misplaced or forgotten. That's fine as these things do happen, especially when things get busy. We (and I think most people) can appreciate that mistakes happen and the staff should just act graciously when they do happen. Instead they pointed the finger at us and insisted that we hadn't placed the order and two separate staff members questioned us about it.

It was almost a Spanish inquisition. When did you place the order? Who did you place the order with? Where did you place the order? And wait for it: "Did you place the order because I would've remembered if you did? I have never forgotten an order before."

Umm... yes we did place the order. The lady at the counter even turned around to the kitchen and yelled out, "Seven!" (the number of the menu item) when the order was placed. When we go to a restaurant or cafe, it is usually with the explicit intention to eat, and we have never forgotten to order our food either!

I think anybody would see that it would be more likely that they had forgotten our order, and not that we had forgotten to order! We thought that it was rude and unnecessary and my wife felt embarrassed as other tables were turning around to look at us. (NB: We did not actually make a fuss or tell them our thoughts, we just said simply, "Yes, we did order it". The attention from other tables was due to the staff members' loud and persistent questioning.)

To top it off, the spinach pide (when we finally got it) wasn't good at all. It was too yeasty and lacked flavour. All in all, a most unpleasant dining experience. The mediocre food and the bad attitude from staff will prevent us from going there again. There's definitely countless other (and better) kebab places to go to in Auburn and around Sydney.

Nov 14, 2010

3.8 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  5     

This was one of the weirdest dining experiences we've ever had. Wife was not feeling well, so we ordered some congee for her (chicken soup equivalent for the Chinese). They have two different menus - in Chinese and in English. We were presented with the English menu first but on perusal, we asked whether they had a different menu in Chinese because we knew that they did serve congee.

The menu items on the Chinese and English menus are different. Of course this makes it difficult for us to order (as we cannot read Chinese even though we are Chinese and still want the traditional Chinese dishes like congee). We also order bread sticks, rice, pork spare ribs and a couple of steamed scallops with ginger and shallot. The food was very average.

The strange part occurred when it came to paying the bill. We asked for the bill, and noted that they had rounded up the bread sticks. It was supposed to be $2.80 and they charged us $3. We let it go, since it's only 20c. The total bill came to $44. Because it was less than $50, they did not accept credit so we paid with a $50 note.

The change came back as $5.40. So we were short changed 60c as well as overcharged by 20c. Because it was only 80c all up, we couldn't be bothered saying anything. But on a matter of principle, we felt that it was wrong. It would appear they had already tipped themselves! It was just plain weird. Not recommended at all.

Oct 09, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Wow! How can we have lived in the area and not known about this place sooner? It only came to our attention as we were flipping through the Entertainment Book. This place is absolutely fantastic. The food was delicious!

We ordered the whole barramundi with green mango salad and the duck breast in tamarind sauce. The barramundi dish was perfectly spiced and the duck dish was very tasty, the tamarind sauce gave it a real kick. Love the textures of both dishes. Even though we were both really full after the mains, we decided to order the sticky rice and mango to share for dessert. Glad that we did! The mango was clearly fresh and the sticky rice was not overly sweet.

Service was excellent, food was served promptly and the staff are very attentive and very polite. Ambience is relaxed and we like how the tables are not too close together as other Thai restaurants tend to feel too closed in and crowded. It's a perfect date place. We'll definitely be returning soon!

Response from Management:
Hi Sundaymorning,

Thank you for your review and comment, we are flattered indeed.

It is fantastic that you tried two dishes on the specials' board, and you liked both of them. I think that is a great combination, with one a sweet/sour/tangy sauce on the succulent roast duck breast, and the barramundi fish, the fresh green mango salad compliments the light battered crispy fried fish. We are glad you loved the dessert as well.

Thank you for mentioning the ambience and the seating/spacing, we believe that is also important to the whole dining experience. We will do our best to keep up our good standard of food and service, and look forward to seeing you again soon.

I will pass on your compliments to the chef and the waiting staff.

Cheers,
Atom

Oct 08, 2010

4.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  4      Value  5     

We were expecting so much more from this place, given the positive reviews. But, this place was a disappointment. The menu looked interesting and promising, but we weren't very impressed with our meals. We ordered the tasting plate for two (2 seafood dumplings, bit rubbery, 2 cajun chicken skewers, bit dry and 2 salt and pepper battered prawns). Wife ordered the seafood hotpot and I ordered the bbq meat plate. Both were mediocre. Worse still, the wife was sick afterwards.

The seafood hotpot didn't sit well with her. Service was very slow. Our orders were taken after another table who arrived several minutes after us, which wasn't good at all, and really it was downhill from there. We waited 40 minutes before our entree was served (and watching the other table eat before us didn't make us feel better) and there was another 25 minutes before our mains were served. Too many good places around Glebe for us to give it another try given this experience.

Oct 08, 2010

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  8     

"The best fish and chips in the universe"? A huge claim, and I think this claim lets down this little eatery. How many times do you go past a shop that claims to have the best burger or best schnitzel or best pizza? Can they all be right? It's already pretty funny when restaurants say they are the best in Sydney, but the best in the universe, hmmmm well.

Don't get me wrong, I think they do serve delicious fish and chips. But when the expectation is set so high, they can only disappoint, which really is a shame, because, as I said, the fish and chips here is actually very good.

For those people complaining about service, we've never had a problem with service the couple of times we've been here because we realise that it is what it is, a fish and chips takeaway joint with some seating outside on the balcony and a couple at the front of the store. I mean, what kind of service should you expect for a place like that? You'd come here for the food, not for silver service. We got our orders placed reasonably quickly, food was ready quickly and they weren't rude to us. That's good enough for a fish and chips place.

Value wise, if you go on a Tuesday or Wednesday, they do battered barra with chips and large drink for $10, which is great value. Also try their sweet potato chips and salt and pepper calamari. They have a wide range of seafoods and we'll definitely be interested in trying the other menu items.

Just ignore the "best fish and chips in the universe" claim and I think you will like this place!

Sep 29, 2010

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  7     

We walked in off the street on a Friday night, and was found a table immediately. Wife ordered the prawn ravioli with pasta bella sauce (the sauce was recommended by the waiter) and I had spaghetti bolognaise. We also ordered some garlic bread. The food was quite good, especially the ravioli, the sauce really was as delicious as the waiter said and the ravioli was fresh with good prawn pieces inside. The service was friendly and prompt and the waiters clearly knew the menu well. But the ambience felt a little 'stressed'. The waiters were all walking so quickly through the restaurant, I started feeling a little stressed myself! I guess they were just trying to do their job though.

Sep 25, 2010